The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-04-27
Couldn't W ait.
Er ANNIE N. LIBBY. IsB. y. oBsERygE-

Johnnie Waite, the boys called him
"Couldn't tWaite," he used those words so
often, went home from school one night
and gave his weekly report TO his father.
The family were at supper. Dir. Waite
took the report after he had finished
his biscuit, and looked At it. There
were five black marks on it. He turned
TO Johnnie.
''What was this mark for Monday
81 ran by Phil Blake going out IN the
line"
"What was that for?'
81 couldn't wait for him TO go along,
said Johnnie, and"
''That will do, said his father, "and
Wednesdays mari" "
81 upset some ink on my writing
book"
"And the two on Thursday
q; wanted to tell Phil something, and
| whispered to him"
Couldn't wait till recess. suppose" :"
said Mr.. Waite, stroking his mustache to
hide a smile.
"And l took out my sling-shot"
Johnnie's cheeks were growing redder
than usual.
"And to-day?"
II ate an apple" and Johnnie's head
dropped.
"Another couldn't wait" said his
father. "and you went to school this
morning without sweeping the steps, and
this afternoon without giving Ponto his
| dinner; YOU didn't take the note your
mother asked you to carry to Mrs. Brack-
EFT. you tipped the baby over instead of
going round him, and you left the front
| door open and somebody came in and
took NV silk umbrella, and all because
you couldn't wait Well, you'll have to
have lesson, young man, that will
break up this habit of yours"
Mr.. Waite ate cookie, played few
minutes with the baby, and then went
down town.
Johnnie ate four cookies and then
went into the parlor. Great Aunt Mary
Sherwin sat ia the bay window knit
| ting.
ibid YOU ever hear of your great,
great Uncle Titus Foss?' she asked,
peering through her glasses at Johnnie.
Johnnie said 'No'm," and wondered
| how old a great, great uncle could be.
Gle couldn't wait" continued great
Aunt Mary. "I'll take you over to Lyme
] sODIE I'd gy anu cAAOh gOA AAAN MIN - 49,
door of the old house where he threw
the stove hook at the cat, because he
| couldn't wait for her to step along. That
marks been there fifty years.
Zone night Uncle Titus was driving
home from Camden, and he came to a
bar with lantern hanging from it, right
across the road. Twas Just before he got
to the toll bridge Uncle Titus couldn't
wait. He leaped his horse over the
bar. The tollman said he ran cut to
tell him part of the bridge was up for
repairs. but Uncle Titus couldn't
wait. The river was high and he and
the horse were washed down stream and
drowned.
Great Aunt Mary ratified her knit
ting needles swiftly, and Johnnie, seeing
that the story was done, ran away to
play.
When he came into the dining room
the next morning he found breakfast
cleared away and mamma feeding the
canaries. She said they thought they
couldn't wait for him, and Johnnie
went into the kitchen and begged some
| bread and milk from Mary. He went
back to ask if his father left the quarter
of a dollar he promised the day before,
l1dL JOlnulC ply ApA a oAAtAA -
the new football club some of the boys
in his class were getting up, but Mrs
Waite said, "Papa went to the office
early and he told me to tell you he
couldn't wait"
The boys thought they couldn't wait
for Johnnie to see his father, and as Lew
Dunton, boy whom Johnnie especially
disliked, had twenty-five cents ready,
| Al l. - alt1h anH lpff
Johnnie out. He felt sure of sympathy
when he began to tell his father about
his trouble at noon, but, greatly to his
surprise, he was cut short by curt,
"That'll do, can't wait
81 can't wait for you, John, said the
teacher, when he hesitated for the right
word in his geography lesson that after
noon, and Johnnie was marked down
though he had studied hard and knew
his lesson.
He met Mary on his way home. She
told him the rest of the family had gone
to his Uncle Byron's, and he would find
his supper on the kitchen table, "for I'd
rot be waitin' for wan lone boy to
ate" said Mary as she walked heavily
away.
This was he greatest disappointment
of all. Johnnie had counted ON the ride
to Uncle Byron's for weeks. He ate a
little supper and lay down on the sofa
in the parlor. The tears trickled down
his face in the dark. 81 guess I'm get
ting that lesson Papa meant" he said,
with little sob, and then he must have
dropped asleep, for when he opened his
eyes the lamp vas lighted, and he locke
up into mammals face. She sat down
Oh the edge of the sofa by him.
"Well, Johnnie, do you like 'couldn
wait?
"No. ma'am,' said Johnnie, emphati-
cally, sitting up straight and punching
the sofa pillow with stout little list.
81 think it's just mean when-waen
other folks do it,"
Mrs. Waite laughed. There are four
puppies out at Uncle Byron's, Johnnie .
She said, "and | happen to know that II
YOU don't use those dreadful words, and
if you do wait for two weeks papa means
to take you out to see them, and If you
break yourself entirely of this bad habit
you are to have one of those puppies for
your own"
Johnnie put his arms round his moth
er's neck and kissed her. "Pll try just
as hard as can.''
'sAnd I'll help you all l can, said his
mother, kissing him back. John ran out
to the front gate and, meeting his father,
slipped his hand into the bigger one held
out to him and said, "That dogs mine,
sir"
"When you've gained the victory,
young man" laughed his father.
And Johnnie did win the victory, and
that's why the handsome brown spaniel
is Victor-to commemorate Johnnie's